The Chargers Have Lost One of Their Wide Receivers

Right now, the Los Angeles Chargers’ wide receivers are banged up. Ladd McConkey, their top threat at the position, has a foot ailment and is in concussion protocol, Quentin Johnston has a chest ailment, Tre’ Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith have bad hamstrings and Brenen Thompson has a quadriceps injury.

A few weeks ago, the team brought in Marquez Valdes-Scantling, a veteran wideout, in order to beef up its pass-catching crew. He won Super Bowl championships with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but his production fell off a cliff last season while with the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On Monday, there was buzz that Valdes-Scantling was expected to leave L.A. and join one of his former teams. Now it’s official.

Valdes-Scantling’s new stomping grounds

Valdes-Scantling is now a member of the Steelers’ practice squad, and he took part in the team’s practice session on Wednesday, per Brendan Howe.

He will now start his third go-around as a teammate of future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers, and arguably his best season came while there. In 2020, his third season in the NFL, he caught 33 passes for 690 yards and six touchdowns, and he led everyone with 20.9 yards per reception.

That year, Green Bay went to the NFC Championship Game for the second year in a row, only to lose there to Tom Brady and the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While with the Chargers, Valdes-Scantling appeared in three games and was targeted five times, ending up with two receptions and 22 yards.

This is the Chargers’ bye week, and they are groping for something, anything, to improve after starting the season 0-6. They’re 30th in points and last in turnovers with 15, and quarterback Justin Herbert is playing by far the worst football of his pro career. He has completed 59.4% of his passing attempts, has a league-high eight interceptions and a very dismal 68.8 passer rating.

The team will face the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 1 to resume its schedule.